Part 1: Overview of Scuba Diving in Boracay, (Philippines)

The ultimate dream destination, the island of Boracay has received several awards, including ‘Best Island in the World’ by Travel + Leisure magazine. Powder white beaches and glossy turquoise waters make that this place looks like a postcard. The two main beaches of the island, White Beach and Bulabog Beach, are only separated by a narrow strip of land of no more than 1 km wide. With sandy paths and everything you need within ten minutes walk, Boracay has been able to keep its small island feel, despite its reputation as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Although the beaches are the main attraction for traveling to Boracay, the island boasts many great places to dive. With over 25 dive sites around Boracay and neighboring islands, Boracay diving has quite a lot to offer for such a small island. There are plenty of dives to choose from for both novice and experienced diver, including coral gardens, walls, drift and wreck.

The best time to dive Boracay is between October and May, when most dive sites are accessible and weather conditions are most favorable. In Typhoon season, from June to September, there are plenty of dive sites on the east side of the island that make for more sheltered dives. Water temperatures range between 26 degrees Celsius in December to 30 degrees in summer. The visibility can be excellent in the months of April to June, up to 30 meters, and a little poor, down to 5 or 10 meters, around December to February.

To go to Boracay, travelers have to get to Caticlan, where a boat to Boracay runs every 15 minutes or so during the day. The fastest way to get to Caticlan is to book the flight from Manila’s international airport directly to Caticlan. Since this is a popular flight in high season, an alternative would be to fly to the airports of Kalibo or Roxas and get a bus to Caticlan from there. Expect to get wet when arriving on Boracay. The island has no jetty and travelers have to wade through the water to reach the shore.

What makes Boracay diving special is the combination of world-class beaches, small island feel and a variety of good dive sites. Many Boracay dives are only a 5 to 10 minute boat ride away and there is something for every level and every season. Some dive sites, like walls, channel drifts and wrecks are only for the advanced diver, but Boracay diving offers plenty of easier dive sites that are well suited for beginners and training dives.

For experienced divers only, Yapak 1 and Yapak 2 are two different walls that start at 30 meters and drop off to 70 meters. A negative entry is often necessary, followed by a blue-water decent. Probably Boracay’s most popular dive sites, Yapak 1 & 2 are the places to go to see larger marine life like grey and white-tip reef sharks, tuna, jacks, snapper and triggerfish.

Malabulot is a gentle dive for all levels with healthy hard and soft corals and abundant macro life. Being one of the sheltered dive sites in Boracay, Malabulot can be dived in all weather conditions. Featherstars are plentiful here, as are nudibranchs, shrimps and clownfish. The sandy bottom at the base of the reef is home to a colony of garden eels.

Sitting upright and still totally in tact, the Camia II is Boracay’s wreck dive. This cargo ship was purposely sunk in 2001 and since then has attracted a healthy population of marine life. Lionfish, Snapper, Grouper and Batfish are only a few species that have made Camia II their home. The wreck is situated quite deep, between 25 and 30 meters and therefore only accessible by advanced divers, or by doing a wreck or deep adventure dive.

Crocodile Island is a beautiful all-level dive site with healthy sloping reef that can also be dived as a night dive. This Boracay dive site teems with fish life, from macro critters to reef fish and the occasional sea snake. Lionfish, Sweetlips, Angelfish, scorpionfish and boxfish are frequent visitors here.

Diving on Boracay is not expensive and since prices are similar over the island, divers can choose based on other criteria that may be more important. It is a great place to learn to dive or continue education, due to the availability of good training dive sites, attractive prices and laid-back atmosphere. Many dive centers on the island offer accommodation, however divers can chose to arrange their own and book the diving independently

Calypso Dive Center is a 5 star PADI IDC center and National Geographic dive center. This professional Boracay dive center had excellent training facilities and offers courses, fun dives and dive safaris. Their stylish Calypso Resort is located directly at White Beach and is a goodchoice for comfortable and quality Boracay dive holiday on a higher budget.

Recommended by Lonely Planet, White Beach Divers is a well-established dive center located at the southern end of Boracay, offering dive courses, day trips and multiple-day safaris. They cater to small groups and individuals, aiming to give divers a choice in dive sites. Their on-site hostel and bar make this an all-round place to stay for a Boracay dive vacation.

Victory Divers is a German-owned and multilingual 5 star PADI dive center, that has shown continuous commitment to the improvement of dive standards around Boracay island. They have been involved and even responsible for many marine conservation efforts, including installment of buoys, banning of spear fishing and coral collection. Victory divers has a resto-bar and hotel right at White Beach.

Also located at White Beach, dive center Free Willy gets excellent online reviews. Offering courses, fun dives and safaris, they take great pleasure in showing divers Boracay’s underwater treasures. Willy and his staff do everything to make visitors part of their dive family and their enthusiasm and passion for shows in the amazing experiences divers have with them.

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